


Wheels in Motion

by ao_no_senshi



Series: Regulated Magic [1]
Category: Chouseishin Gransazer | Super Star God Gransazer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Magic, Betrayal, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-22
Updated: 2010-02-22
Packaged: 2017-10-27 23:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/301050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ao_no_senshi/pseuds/ao_no_senshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The best intentions can lead down some very dark paths.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wheels in Motion

“You really think we can pull this off?” Jin asked, looking down at Go seriously. This wasn’t exactly his idea of pillowtalk, but when Go wanted to talk about this then you were going to talk about it unless you found a way of distracting him.

“We have to,” Go said firmly, determined expression on his face. “Magic’s corrupting the country, Jin. People are using it all the wrong ways: to kill, to hurt and satisfy their own greed. That’s not what it’s _for_. Magic should be used to _help_ people, to make the world _better_ , to--”

“Hey,” Jin interrupted, leaning forward and placing a finger on Go’s mouth to stop the flow of words, his finger then trailing down over Go’s lip and down his chin. “Quit the lecture, Go. I agree with you, remember?”

Go smiled up at him and cupped his face between his hands. “I know,” he agreed, tugging Jin closer. “And that’s why we’ll win.”

***

Jin stared across at the row of people in front of him, still not understanding how things had come to this. This section of downtown had been abandoned for years, making it the perfect place for what might easily turn into a mage battle. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that but he wasn’t convinced that it wouldn’t.

“Why are you doing this, Go?” Ryoko was demanding. “Why are you tearing us apart?”

“I’m not tearing us apart!” Go shot back. “I’m doing what’s necessary. We want to make the world better, remember?”

“Not like this,” Jin interrupted and Go turned towards him, anger and betrayal flickering across his expression. “This isn’t what we were planning, Go and you know it. You won’t make the world better this way.”

“I will,” Go said flatly. “You’re not even listening, Jin. You’re closing your eyes to the truth in front of you.”

“We’re not the ones closing our eyes,” Ryoko retorted. “Don’t you see what you’re doing? Don’t any of you see it?”

The hair on the back of Jin’s neck started to prickle as the atmosphere grew steadily more dangerous. On the one side was Go, flanked by Akira and Naoto, three of the heaviest-hitters of the Gransazer circle. On the other was himself and Ryoko and while they had speed where the others had force he still didn’t like the odds. The dividing line between them, while invisible, was nonetheless tangible and getting steadily more so as the possibility of a showdown became more inevitable.

“Peace can only come through order,” Go said. “Without order magic is lawless and there are no consequences for misuse. You know that, Ryoko.”

“That doesn’t mean you need to create a police state for magic users. What happens to the people who don’t want to be part of the Ministry, Go? What happens to them?”

Go looked uncomfortable. “Sacrifices have to be made in any revolution.”

“Are you even listening to yourself?” Jin burst out, unable to believe this was the same person he’d thought he knew. How had Go turned into this without his realising it? How could he change so much without Jin even noticing? “Don’t be such a damn idiot, Go. This isn’t what we wanted.”

Go shook his head and ran a hand through his close-cropped hair. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Jin.”

“Or what?” Jin demanded. “What exactly are you going to do, Go?”

Out the corner of his eye Jin noticed Akira’s hands beginning to move, voice quiet as he began an incantation.

Not waiting to see which incantation his former friend was using, Jin raised his own hands and barked out a rapid Whirlwind Strike, blowing all three members of the Ministry for the Regulation of Magic backwards. “Come on!” he yelled at Ryoko, grabbing her hand and breaking into a run. “We need to get out of here!”

Ryoko nodded and soon they were level, matching stride for stride, putting as much distance between themselves and their former friends as possible. The three would be after them soon enough, they needed to get as much space between them now, while they still could.

Coming to a fork in the road, Ryoko jerked her hand free. “We should split up,” she called, shoving him one way while she started down the other path. “Make it harder for them.”

“But--” Jin began, then realised it was useless. “I’ll find you later,” he shouted after her, hoping she heard him.

When he finally came to a stop it was in a gloomy abandoned car park, full of shadows. The place was littered with hunks of cars, their rear ends smashed up, windows broken, the hoods hanging half off in some cases. He hunkered down between two wrecks, trying to catch his breath. Hopefully there was enough distance between himself and pursuit that he could relax and…

A brief mental touch swept over him and he froze, dragging a ‘hide me’ spell around him to blend him into the shadows. A touch that brief would only give the caster a vague location: that he was near but not where he was specifically, which gave him some breathing room. He’d have to do something fast, though, because the touch had also told him exactly who had come after him and he wished it had been anyone else. He bit his bottom lip hard and felt his nails digging into the palms of his hands. He would much rather have dealt with Naoto or Akira than Go; at least they weren’t nearly so complicated.

“Jin!” Go called, standing in the middle of the car park, looking around for him. “I know you’re here; I know you can hear me. Why don’t you come out and we can talk about this. Just us, no-one else. I promise.”

Jin stayed silent. He had no intention of letting the past blind him into just going along with whatever Go wanted: he’d already made that mistake once, he wasn’t going to make it again.

“You don’t understand what we’re trying to _do_ , Jin,” Go tried again. “Just… come with me and I can show you. I promise it will all make sense then.”

The worst of it was, Jin thought clinically, that Go was absolutely sincere. He believed in what he was doing and he wanted Jin to go to him willingly. Maybe before, he thought tiredly, his knees beginning to ache from the crouch. Maybe before Makoto and Ai had vanished and the methods of the MRM became terrifyingly clear, maybe then he would have gone with Go, but it was too late now. He knew what the MRM was and what Go was becoming and it was too late for him to do anything about it. He hadn’t even seen it happening when it was right in front of him.

“Jin, _please,_ ” Go repeated, walking between the wrecks and looking down the gangways between them. Soon he’d reach Jin’s hiding place and they’d see if Jin’s cloaking spell was working as well as he hoped it was. “Please, just… come with me. We can make a difference, Jin, we can do everything we wanted to to make the world better.”

 _Not like this,_ Jin wanted to say. _This isn't the way._ But it had fallen on deaf ears before, what difference would it make now? Go reached the gangway Jin was hiding in and there was a long, drawn out moment where Go was looking right at him before moving on.

“I will find you,” Go said. “Maybe not today, but one day. And then you’ll see, Jin. You’ll see what I’m trying to do.”

Good luck with that, Jin thought sardonically. He had no intention of letting Go find him now, not ever. He’d told Ryoko he’d find her later but he was beginning to think he’d have to scratch that plan. The MRM would be looking for them and they were better off apart instead of meeting up again and being a nice easy target. He waited until he heard the sounds of Go leaving and let out a soft sigh of relief. He also stayed where he was, spell in place, for another fifteen minutes, just in case Go was thinking of catching him out.

He knew what he had to do now and that was to get as far away from Tokyo and Kamiya Go as possible.

***

“You’ll find him,” Akira said, handing Go a glass of wine. “Jin likes his luxuries, he won’t stay in hiding long.”

“Maybe,” Go sighed, slumping into the chair in his office, his head pounding. Or maybe they were underestimating Jin. He’d already made the mistake of misjudging Jin and assuming he’d be part of them only to be proved horribly wrong. “Maybe not.”

“Ryoko’s the one I’m worried about,” Akira continued, leaning against the table. “She’s tougher than the others and she’s good at strategy. If we can’t get her on board…”

“We won’t,” Naoto said from the doorway, glass of water in hand. “She’s made that very clear. They’ve made their choices and we’ve made ours. It’s already too late to go back.”

Go nodded slowly and took a small sip of the wine before wrinkling his nose and setting it aside. Yes, they’d made their choices. All they could do now was see them through.


End file.
